Challenger targets incumbent Nash commissioner
By AMELIA HARPER Staff Writer Rocky Mount Telegram Oct 21, 2020
 

While three seats on the Nash County Board of Commissioners are up for grabs this year, only one commissioner faces opposition in the election that already is underway.
Republican Sue Leggett, who represents District 4 on the board, is being challenged by Democrat Morris Roberson.
Leggett, 41, lives just outside Nashville in the White Oak community. The youngest member of the board, she is married and has two sons, ages 10 and 13. She also serves on the board of Nash UNC Health Care.
Leggett said she always has had close ties to the district she represents.
“I have lived in Nash County basically my whole life. I have lived in this district for 17 years continuously and in Nash County for 38 years. I live, go to church, own a business in and work in District 4 of Nash County,” she said in a recent interview.
Her opponent, who did not disclose his age, said he also has close connections to the district.
“My wife Catherine and I have lived in Nashville since 2018. We have grown children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Our roots are right here in Nash County,” Roberson said.
Both candidates were educated in Nash County schools before broadening their horizons.
“I attended Nash County Training School and graduated from the original Nash Central High School in 1966,” Roberson said. “Following my military service, I attended the University of Nevada-Las Vegas. In 2007-08, I attended Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, Va., where I received a post-baccalaureate graduate certificate in public safety followed by a master of science in criminal justice.”
Leggett, a graduate of the former Rocky Mount Senior High School, went on to obtain a bachelor’s degree in agronomy from N.C. State University. In 2007, she also graduated from N.C. State’s Agricultural Leadership Development Program.
She said her degree has prepared her well for her current role in agribusiness.
“I farm for a living and am thankful to have my husband, Brent, as my business partner at Leggett Farming Partnership in Nashville,” Leggett said. “We operate a diversified row- crop farm, which grows sweet potatoes, tobacco, peanuts, soybeans and cotton. One of my favorite crops to grow is strawberries, which are sold at Strawberry City. As a business owner, I wear many hats, but I primarily handle the finances and regulatory responsibilities of our business.”
Roberson said he grew up on the family farm in Nash County but went on to achieve several goals after his four-year stint in the Air Force, where he was stationed at Nellis Air Force Base in Las Vegas.
“Immediately following my tour in the Air Force, I began working at the U.S. Postal Service in Las Vegas,” he said. “After approximately eight years with the postal service and with my degree from UNLV, I applied for and was accepted as a U.S. postal inspector, the federal law enforcement branch of the Postal Service. I retired as an inspector in June 2000.”
After that retirement, he went on to teach in the Criminology and Criminal Justice Department at Virginia Union University in Richmond from January 2012 to December 2017, Roberson said.
Leggett said one of the most important issues in this election is “the willingness to listen and to work with others.”
“Having two years experience on the board, I have seen first-hand just how crucial this is to making progress,” she said. “Keeping a common-sense approach to government is so important. The county delivers so many important services to its citizens, and it is important to keep our county fiscally strong without over-regulation or overburdening our citizens.”
Roberson said some of the most important issues he sees are health care and education, goals that may be difficult to achieve at the local level alone.
“We need to work to ensure good, quality, affordable health care for all our citizens. We also need to ensure excellent, quality education opportunities for our students, which include broadband services, in all our communities,” he said.
Leggett said she is running for re-election to the board because she wants to serve the citizens of Nash County and “work for a vibrant future of our county.”
“I am the best candidate for Nash County commissioner in District 4 because I understand the people of my district and have the energy and commitment to serve
them,” Leggett said. “As a business owner, I understand budgets and finance, which is one important part of being commissioner. As a mother, I understand the need for a strong education for our children. As a resident of rural Nash County, I understand the need for responsible development to respect property owner rights as well as the need for infrastructure like water and fast internet.”
Roberson said he feels that he is the best candidate for the position because of his leadership experience.
“I commit my character, leadership, values and experience to the citizens of the county,” he said. “Education has been one of my passions as I continue to be a lead trainer in law enforcement with the National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives in the training I provide to communities and law enforcement. I believe in our farms and support and respect our dedicated farmers, large and small. Each one brings value to the community through whatever product they cultivate and produce and the many hands they employ to make it happen.”
As far as other open seats on the Nash County Board of Commissioners, Democrat Marvin Arrington is running unopposed for the District 1 seat after winning the primary in March. He will replace Lou Richardson, who is retiring from the board. Republican Dan Cone also is running unopposed for his District 3 seat.
Early voting now is taking place in Nash County. Election Day is Nov. 3.